I can't deal with out of context quotes. You draw a false conclusion if you don't deal with all of 2'nd Peter just the same with all of scripture. Who are you talking about in your list of choices, Peter was talking about people yet to come. ("just as there will be") What people are you talking about?
Find me a person in 2'nd Peter and I will answer your question. Peter is talking generally about the way people decieve using the Teaching of Jesus but not believing in it. Today we would call them a fraud. These people are never saved, never have been saved and will not be saved.
Mike, you know very well who I'm talking about---specifically, those who "after escaping the defilements of the world, and become again entangled in them and overcome". Verse 20, fourth word,
"THEY". THEM people.
Fine if you want to understand it is "IN GENERAL"---he's still presenting it as
POSSIBLE.
Focus on verses 20-22, just three verses, and answer:
Were they NEVER SAVED?
Were they SAVED and NEVER REALLY FELL?
Were they SAVED and FELL FROM SALVATION?
Which? Gotta be
one of 'em...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See 1John 2:19 They went out from us,but they did not really belong to us, for if they had belonged to us, theywould have remained with us: but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
These are
specific individuals, certain ANTICHRISTS AMONG YOU. Please read 2Jn1:8-9, (understanding 1Jn5:12-13) and tell me if John believed
it was POSSIBLE to BELONG TO THEM, but still GO OUT FROM THEM...
So tell me wether you believe that if a person loses their salvation that they can be saved again. You cannot read Hebrews and believe that they can be resaved.
Lets see, the Bible says God's seed remains in those born of Him.
Gee, no one reads the previous pages. (Ben draws a breath...)
Heb6:4-6, says "it is IMPOSSIBLE..." The word "impossible" in the Greek, is "adunatos"---a fluent Greek speaker informs me "impossible with things, unable with people"; Greek Concordance defines "adunatos" as "impossible, weak, powerless, impotent".
"...for those who have once been enlightened, have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit..." Some say "they were only TASTERS, not really SAVED". Again the Greek comes to the rescue---
partakers here, is "metochos"---used in Heb3:1&14---means "partakers,
partners". The
partnership[/b] is
absolutely conveyed! The Holy Spirit
DOES NOT PARTNER with the unsaved. Period.
"...impossible (powerless) to restore them to repentance..." Impossible for them to be saved again? NO---it only says, "they won't wanna REPENT". Why? It
tells us why:
(KJV)"Seeing as..."
(NIV)"BECAUSE..."
(NASV)"SINCE"
(NASV, footnote)
"WHILE"
"...they crucify to themselves Christ anew, and hold Him to public shame (contempt)".
The verb "parapiptos" (fall-away) is aorist---it is not past, nor present, nor future.
This whole passage simply says, "It is unable to restore them to repentance WHILE they fall away and WHILE they crucify to themselves Christ anew and hold Him in contempt".
That's all.
"For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall aso reign with Him. But if we deny Him, He also will deny us (and we shall NOT reign with Him). If we are faithless (and PERISH), yet He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." 2Tim2:11-13 Matt10:32-33
Or are you willing to contend
that a FAITHLESS one is STILL SAVED???
Yes He chose us, IN HIM, before the foundation of the World---but that is predicated on our BELIEF---from our own hearts. Read Matt22:2-14. All are called, but only those who COME,
AND clothe themselves with righteousness
become the CHOSEN.
Now read 2Thess2:13---God chose us from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit,
and through faith in the truth. We are saved by our own faith? ALL of them said so. Jesus in Luke 21:19, Peter in 1Pt1:9,
all of them...
"ANd this is the will ('thelea-desire') of God, that ALL who behold the Son of God
and believe in Him, may have eternal life..." Jn6:40